Hermione reached the top of the stairs and looked back. Wondering what mysterious force had brought her to do this, but it was too late to go back now. Harry and Ron and spotted her. "'Mione! There you are, we've been looking for you," Ron called out, looking a bit sad.

"What..? Looking for me?" she turned and bit her lip. "Whatever brought you to do that?" she remained stubborn, though her heart flittered in some sort of happiness. "I thought you were mad at me," she added hastily.

Ron and Harry looked at one another. "We're sorry, Hermione, we knew you meant good," Harry said sadly, looking at his ground. He felt like he was apologizing to his mother for breaking a vase. It is, in fact, a very delicate business to go about and apologize to a girl whom you have just broken her heart; especially a smart girl like Hermione who is not one for bribes.

Hermione held her firm posture and considered. "Well, alright then" she said and smiled.

"What were you doing, anyway?" Ron asked, happy to have Hermione back. Though he was quite surprised and chose his words carefully. Anyone who forgave him that quickly must be a ticking bomb that could go off at the tiniest of prods.

"Well, at first I was working on an essay for Muggle Studies, and then Mr. Kirkland came up to me, quite an odd fellow he is. He recited two little poems." Hermione answered, following Harry to sit down.

"That's strange, Hermione… He seems far too old to look that young," Harry protested. "I don't really know if you should trust him,"

"He did say he was centuries old!" Ron put in, afraid Hermione would be set off again. He gave Harry a sharp look.

Hermione shrugged her small shoulders and pulled her feet up on the couch. "I do believe he stressed it a tad, or perhaps he is immortal!"her eyes shone, fantasizing all the fast knowledge she could gain from such a man, 'I should go talk to him again!' she thought and stood up.

Ron, who was dreadful at picking up such minute hints, thought it was their fault for her sudden movement. "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to upset you!" Harry said, also not knowing why she stood so quickly. As Hermione had said what she intended to do in her mind, and not allowed, (though she thought it was aloud) she shook her head. Placing her book s into her bag and running out of the portrait and into the commons she began her search.

Her search did not lead her to Arthur. The strange man seemed to have vanished all over again and she sighed in disgruntlement. "Dear, why must he disappear so suddenly," she stomped her foot and crossed her arms. Not losing all her hope, she looked in the halls.

He was gone! Hermione was wondering if he had left home for Christmas. 'Silly girl,' she told herself. She'd been speaking to herself quite a lot these past few days—a way to cope with all her classes—'Why would he be here in the morning and not now?' Lost in her thoughts, which ranged from ideas that England had been eaten by Fluffy (the three-headed dog Hagrid adored) to England having gone to Hogsmead. She was wrong.

"Why don't you go home, Arthur?" a wise voice rang through the halls. Hermione gasped and hid behind a pillar. She spotted Arthur and Professor McGonagall.

"I am home," Arthur argued back and the foot-steps stopped.

"Surely it can't be…" the woman stopped, "You do plan on coming back next year, don't you?"

"Of course! I couldn't miss it," Arthur said light-heartedly, "And no, it's not him. I just don't want to return home. They've all changed,"

"Changed? Have they gotten more troublesome than when I met them? Then again, I was a little girl when I met your friends and family,"

"Do believe me when I say they remember you fondly, you were an adorable young girl," Arthur laughed and they began walking. Hermione followed them at a safe distance. "I'm afraid that next year will be my last chance to get them back into the magic world. I must be present next year, you see,"

There was a long drawn sigh from McGonagall. "You still haven't answered my question. Surely there is a reason for you to stay home. You aren't a teacher and therefore you can freely leave when you want,"

"And that is precisely the reason," the man said and there was no more mention of the topic. Hermione ran back to the Gryffindor tower.

"What do you mean he met Professor McGonagall as a little girl? Who are his friends? Are they immortal as well?" Harry asked, just as curious as Hermione was.

"That's what she said! As a very young girl too," Hermione replied, petting Crookshanks, who gave raw looks in Ron's direction. "And I would assume, seeing as they're alive as well,"

"I think he's a squib," Ron said, eyeing that cat with the most distasteful look and placing a heavy hand on his quivering pocket. "I mean, have you seen him use any magic?" Harry nodded in pact. Hermione pouted her lips until they were but a thin white line.

What the Golden Trio did not know what that Arthur's magical was in fact very powerful, but the chants and spells were always so long he hardly bothered to do anything bigger than simple spells. That was another reason he came to Hogwarts, to learn new spells. He would catch some tidbits during his stays in each class. Now, after break, he would pay more mind to each class and take notes just like the students. Almost like a muggle had to take a driving class again after a certain amount of time, he found it would be wise to refresh on magic. He could have enrolled, but he is far too powerful and old to be a regular student. Therefore he took part in odd jobs teachers needed to be done when they hadn't the time.

The Winter Break ended, and that meant Malfoy's sneering face was back. He mocked Harry's fainting problem and fueled a deeper desire to learn to defend himself.

When he entered Lupin's room, he found Arthur there performing a spell. He seemed to be doing it on Lupin, and Harry stayed back, watching just as Hermione had done not too long ago. Lupin looked frightfully pale and Arthur cleared his throat, pulling a long staff from his side. It was the oldest thing Harry had ever seen, chipped in several areas, but it was alos the strongest thing. It glowed palely and flickered red when it drew closer to Lupin.

He opened his mouth, but something else came out. It was a sort of singing, and only heard when Harry listened. When he wanted to relax, he heard a strange roaring sound. It was a roaring song that played from the earth and from the sky. Harry stepped back, to test this, and found that he heard some unintelligible words, but when he drew nearer, there was the song again. Roaring in pride, it took at least five minutes, but felt very swift to both Lupin and Harry. When it stopped, at least when Arthur closed his mouth (the song still rung in the air), Lupin thanked him graciously. Arthur looked at Harry's hiding place and he said, "Harry, come out of there. I'm sorry to have intruded on your lesson. Best of luck, lad," with that he walked away, long green cloak trailing behind him and staff tapping the floor. It was not a tap that a cane would make, but a tap of gem against gem.

Lupin didn't look as pale and invited Harry in. "Don't bother asking, Harry," Remus said, "For I do not know myself what Arthur wanted. He simply walked in, grim expression, and said for me to kneel down. I was scared pale, but he smiled and I relaxed."Harry was astonished that Lupin knew all his questions and that he didn't have the answers.

Harry had his trouble with patronouses at first, but when a flicker began, he was sent away.

"I knew he wasn't a squib!" Hermione said when she heard of the spell. "But really what a truly peculiar tale, indeed…"

"So it sounded like singing, but then as a roar? What kind of magic is that?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione for an answer.

"A very old kind of magic," she stood, "I'm going to the library to see if it's in any of the old books," she left and Ron muttered something about how that was just like Hermione, finding answers in libraries.

Harry watched her leave and suddenly disappear into the hallway. "I wonder if she realizes class will start in just a few minutes," Ron shrugged and grabbed his things and made to Potions.

Snape was in an especially sour mood that day, bullying Neville worse than ever and taking points off from Gryffindor freely. Arthur was not there. "Get out your books and turn to 345," Snape ordered acidly.

"What's his problem?" Ron muttered.

"Did I say for you to talk?" Snape hissed and stared Ron dead-on.

Ron shut his mouth and worked on the potion as instructed. Minutes ticked by lazily, as if purposely stretching time. When Hermione was stirring her potion, an elixir to enlarge, the door clicked upon and a green-robed figure stepped in. He nodded to Snape, and sat by Draco Malfoy.

Needless to say, Ron and Harry felt horribly betrayed.

"What are you working on?" he asked Draco, a flickering pang of annoyance shooting in his eyes.

"An elixir to enlarge," the blonde said proudly, "we aren't quite done yet,"

Arthur stood and stalked around the class, thanking Draco. It was quite evident that he made a move to talk with each and every student, at least for a little bit. But why he made for Draco first was unclear. It was even more unclear why he skipped Harry altogether. He spoke with Ron, asking how long the potion needed to be brewed, ignored Harry, and spoke with Hermione. Draco pointed and laughed, nudging his fellow Slytherins.

He left and Harry was quite stunned. Arthur hadn't shown him any sort of remorse before, what had he done? He wondered if it was from listening to that spell or song, whatever it was.


A bit longer of a chapter, and I hope it was a decent cliffhanger to leave off on! Review and tell me what you think~ And thank you to all who have reviewed already! I have tried to play with your suggestions (which were very helpful) and I love reading what you say! Prides me and motivates me to move on. I should mention that this story will go on into the fourth book, so this year may seem a tad rushed. Very sorry! It's a weakness that I try to smash away, but it flickers back to life...